Account of a Voyage of Discovery Part 8

OF THE GULF OF PE-CHE-LEE, THE WEST COAST OF COREA, THE GREAT LOO-CHOO ISLAND, NAPAKIANG ROADS, AND PORT MELVILLE: WITH BRIEF EXPLANATORY NOTICES.

TABLE OF OBSERVATIONS

MADE WITH DR. WOLLASTON'S DIP SECTOR: WITH AN ENGRAVING, AND A DESCRIPTION OF THIS INSTRUMENT, AND DIRECTIONS FOR ITS USE.

METEOROLOGICAL JOURNAL,

FROM JULY TO NOVEMBER 1816, WHILE THE s.h.i.+PS WERE IN THE YELLOW AND j.a.pAN SEAS.

ABSTRACT OF THE LYRA'S VOYAGE,

FROM LEAVING ENGLAND TILL HER RETURN; SHEWING THE DISTANCE BETWEEN THE DIFFERENT PLACES AT WHICH SHE TOUCHED, AND THE TIME TAKEN IN PERFORMING EACH Pa.s.sAGE.

GEOLOGICAL MEMORANDUM;

BEING A DESCRIPTION OF THE SPECIMENS OF ROCKS COLLECTED ON THE Sh.o.r.eS OF THE YELLOW SEA, COREA, LOO-CHOO, MACAO, AND THE LADRONE ISLANDS.

CHARTS

OF THE

GULF OF PE-CHE-LEE, THE WEST COAST OF COREA, THE GREAT LOO-CHOO ISLAND, NAPAKIANG ROADS, AND PORT MELVILLE.

WITH BRIEF EXPLANATORY NOTICES.

[Ill.u.s.tration: Track of His Majesty's Sloop LYRA _and Honble. Comps.

s.h.i.+p INVESTIGATOR_ _along the Sh.o.r.es of the_ GULPH OF PETCHELEE By Captain Basil Hall R.N. 1816.

_East of Greenwich_]

NOTICE EXPLANATORY OF A CHART

OF

THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE GULF OF PE-CHE-LEE, YELLOW SEA.

[Sidenote: First meridian used in constructing the chart.]

In constructing this chart, I have a.s.sumed the longitude of the fort at the mouth of the Pei-ho to be 117 49' east of Greenwich, or 11' west of the place where the squadron lay at anchor. From this the difference of longitude was measured by two chronometers. The lat.i.tudes were ascertained by frequent observations of the stars, as well as of the sun.

[Sidenote: Aspect of the south and south-west coasts.]

[Sidenote: Soundings.]

The coast on the south and south-west sides of this Gulf is very low, resembling, in this respect, the sh.o.r.e at the entrance of the Pei-ho, or Pekin river, where it is uniformly low and sandy; occasionally a few houses are to be seen, and also square mounds or buildings like forts, but generally, a low white beach is all that can be discovered. The coast is not visible till within about three leagues distance, and the eye elevated eighty feet from the sea, which is the height of the Lyra's foretop-gallant yard. The depth of water when the land first came in sight, was generally five fathoms; at some places only four fathoms, and at the very bottom of the Gulf, it could not be discerned till in three and a half fathoms. It may be said generally, that at ten miles distance the soundings are from four and a half to six fathoms; at twelve miles, from six to eight fathoms. There is a wonderful uniformity in the depth from the Pei-ho round to the south-east corner of the Gulf; the bottom is mud, sometimes a little gritty, particularly towards the southern parts.

[Sidenote: Colour of the water.]

The colour of the water was mostly of the same dirty yellow or green which was observed off the Pei-ho, but we did not observe any red coloured water, as was frequently noticed at that place; at the bottom of the Gulf, indeed, there were several changes in the colour of the water, accompanied by long lines of foam, indicating, it would seem, the vicinity of a great river.

[Sidenote: Tides on the western side of the Gulf.]

On the west side of the Gulf the ebb tide runs to the south-east by south, and the flood north-west by west; the periods are very regular, being generally about six hours: they vary, however, in rapidity. As we anch.o.r.ed on the flood we were enabled to measure its velocity; as we got deep in the Gulf it decreased: at the Pei-ho it frequently ran two and two and a half knots, but far south it was sometimes hardly perceptible; it is worthy of notice, too, that the perpendicular rise and fall decreased from ten feet off the Pei-ho, to one, or at most two feet, in the bottom of the Gulf.

[Sidenote: Bottom of the Gulf.]

The most southern point of our track was 37 15' north; at this time we could perceive the low coast stretching to the east and west; the distance it is difficult to a.s.sign very accurately, but it was probably seven or eight miles, for with a gla.s.s we could perceive a number of people on the sh.o.r.e. I took great pains to ascertain the lat.i.tude stated above, by the meridian alt.i.tudes of several stars; the longitude is 1 39' east of the Pei-ho, or 119 28' east of Greenwich.

[Sidenote: South-eastern side different from the opposite.]

The coast from the south-west corner of the Gulf to the peninsula of Teu-choo-foo, is of a totally different character from that opposite to it, for it is high, and well marked: a range of mountains stretches from south-west to north-east, at the distance of three or four leagues inland; their outline is peaked, and they are intersected by deep ravines without any verdure; the summits are also barren.

[Sidenote: Mount Ellis.]

One of these mountains is very remarkable, having two peaks or paps by which it can be distinguished at the distance of fifty miles, and bears the same aspect when viewed from all parts of the Gulf. It lies in 37 6' north, and 2 11' east of the Pei-ho, or 120 east of Greenwich. It has been called Mount Ellis, in honour of Mr. Ellis, the third commissioner of the Emba.s.sy.

[Sidenote: Aspect of the coast.]

[Sidenote: Jane's Isle.]

[Sidenote: Douglas Island.]

Between this range of hills and the sh.o.r.e, there is a lower belt of elevated ground in a state of high cultivation, covered with many towns and villages, and interspersed with scattered trees and several extensive woods; the ground, too, presents a varied surface, so that the whole offers a pleasing contrast with the rugged land behind. There are two small islands on this line of coast; the southern one lies in 37 21' north, and 2 5' east of the Pei-ho; the other is in 37 28' north, and 2 19' east of the Pei-ho.

[Sidenote: Dangerous shoal.]

There is a dangerous shoal about five leagues off the sh.o.r.e, abreast of these islands, upon which the Lyra nearly struck at midnight on the 17th instant. When at anchor just outside the shoal, the south island bore south 20 east, and the other, east 21 south; on the shoal there was two and a half fathoms, hard bottom. It seems to extend in a north and south direction, and is very narrow. It lies in 37 32' north, which I ascertained by alt.i.tudes of the pole star, under favourable circ.u.mstances. It is 1 58' 30" east of the Pei-ho.

[Sidenote: Soundings and tides.]

The soundings on this side of the Gulf are somewhat deeper than on the other, but not so deep as might have been expected from the bold nature of the land. The ebb tide runs to the north-eastward, and the flood into the Gulf.

[Sidenote: Winds.]

[Sidenote: Melville Point.]

[Sidenote: Teu-choo-foo city.]